Bangkok to Phuket
Below is the chilly air on the flight today.
Today we said goodby to Bangkok and the filthy air. The city is nice but the air has been unusually sick. The smog was so bad that school was cancelled for the week.
Our 9:45 from Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport (DMK) on Air Asia went smoothly. Gary had some young Chinese girl fall asleep on his shoulder. Her husband or travelling partner didn’t seem to mind. It was only a one hour flight from DMK to Phuket. Our luggage was nearly the first on the carousel and we were off to meet our driver. He was late. Some excuse, but we lost 40 minutes sitting waiting for the pre-arranged driver.
We checked in to the Bangtao Village Resort and went for a bite to eat.
On the way back to the hotel we walked around trying to scope out the neighbourhood. Be darned if there isn’t a mosque with loud speakers a block (or less) away. It was actually so hot that we went back to the pool for a swim. This was like the hottest day in Saskatoon last summer, heat and humidity was extreme.
We swam for a bit in the warm pool, the warmest so far on our trip, it was like bathwater. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading our kindles. We both had brief snoozes on the comfy lounge chairs by the pool under the umbrellas.
We changed and went for supper about 2 city blocks away. Supper was good but the prices here a a bit higher than previous places we have stayed. Not a big surprise. The people will come regardless of food and beer prices. After supper we went for a walk on the beach. You have to cut through an alley way or a resort parking lot to get through to the beach. The ocean is like bathwater. We walked along the surf in the dark with the light of the nearby beach restaurants and hotels. The sand is so fine and soft it is quite beautiful, even in the dark. The surf was very calm. We walked back to the hotel in about 10 minutes and washed our feet off at the pool hydrant. We went in our room and washed them off again with soap and water in the bathtub. The sand is very sticky and fine. We are looking forward to the beach tomorrow!
We will only be here for 3 nights, then off to Koh Lanta by ferry for week.
The resort seems really good – it is small bungalows in two facing rows with the pool in-between. Each unit has a small patio on the front with two wooden chairs and a small table. We also have a small wooden drying rack that we can hang our beach towels and bathing suits on to dry which really helps on cutting down clutter in the room. The landscaping is beautiful, with a hedge running between the pool and walkway on each side and lots of other shrubs. They have orchids in a bunch of the trees around the breakfast area. There are a couple fountains so when you sit out on the deck in the evening the pool is all lite up and you can hear the water in the fountains gurgling and splashing. All in all pretty relaxing. It’s crazy how humid and hot it is here at 8:26 pm. Sitting here typing this sweating!! Just checked online, its 27C with 75% humidity and no wind. No mosquitos either. What a gorgeous night it is here.